In the 1960s, feminists began to encourage writers to use nonsexist language. Among other changes, writers were urged to stop using the masculine pronoun he as the generic pronoun when they really meant he or she. Instead, they started consciously using she alternating the masculine and feminine pronouns, or using they instead, because they wanted to signify that the male pronoun was not the best option for designating both men and women. At the time, many people thought that this small shift in language use by a few individuals couldn't possibly change anything; it seemed so trivial.

What drives inventors today is not different from what did so in years past. The link between the evolution of artifacts and the practice of invention is timeless, even if it has by and large come to take a less visible role in society. Whether self-generated or heard from others, dissatisfaction with existing artifacts is at the core of all invention and hence all changes in made things. Thus Edwin Land was prompted to invent the Polaroid instant camera by his three-year-old daughter's question as to why she could not see at once a picture he had taken of her. The innocent Why not? pointed out a weakness in existing cameras that Land was determined to take care of.

Barns are structures that are difficult for one family to pay for or to assemble. In the eighteenth century, communities would collectively build a barn for one of their members. People would volunteer their time to help their neighbors. Today, these direct opportunities to help others are fewer and farther between. Modern suburban life has distanced us from our neighbors. We live at the end of long driveways or high up in apartment buildings, often barely getting to know the person next door. Many people move away from their families, reducing face-to-face contact with our strongest social ties. Hired labor has replaced community barn raising.

Fishes can acquire predator recognition through social learning. Fathead minnows cannot recognize the predatory nature of a pike, unless it has had previous contact with one. Imagine that experienced minnows are placed with naive individuals that have never encountered a pike, and they are exposed to a flow of water from a tank holding a pike. The experienced minnows detect the pike smell and react with fear, seeking cover. Upon seeing them do so, the naive ones also react with fear. The interesting thing is that if the experienced minnows are now removed, and after a few days the pike smell is presented again to the previously naive fish alone, they show a fright reaction. They've learned that the pike odor signals danger because they saw other fish show alarm to it.

There is a growing awareness among workers regarding their rights. As a result, there is also a tendency to reconsider the current discipline approach. After realizing the limitations of strict discipline, progressive managements have started experimenting with positive discipline. This concept assumes a certain degree of self-discipline. Employees are expected to comply with the rules not from fear of recrimination but because they desire to cooperate in achieving the common goal of the organization. In this approach, willingness to comply is important. The emphasis is on cooperative efforts to secure compliance to company norms. Behavioral scientists have also emphasized discipline in this sense and they view discipline as a self-control to meet organizational objectives. This approach helps in achieving both individual and organizational goals.

All sorts of human and technical errors may lead to a false outcome. Therefore, a scientific experiment must be such that it is capable of being repeated again and again and again. Only if the result is consistent after many trials can it be said that the hypothesis has or has not been disproved. If the idea seems valid under one set of experimental conditions it must be repeatedly tested in different ways under differing circumstances. Gradually, if the hypothesis remains undisputed, it eventually comes to acquire the status of a scientific law. On the other hand, if a reliable experimental result is at variance with the hypothesis, the latter must be discarded and the result added to the list of facts known about the phenomenon.

Language myths serve to define us and distance them. Many myths are about one's native tongue. People around the world often describe their own language or dialect as the clearest, most beautiful, most logical, and most expressive. You will also commonly hear speakers of a language you don't know tell you, Oh, this word is very special in our language. It can't be translated. Almost immediately, though, they will tell you what the word means, proving themselves wrong. Virtually anything can be translated—X cannot be translated usually means nothing more exciting than We have a word, X, that you need three or four words for in your language."

The 1960s were all about revolution-the birth of the women's liberation movement, the fight for civil rights, and the protests against the Vietnam War. It makes sense then that fashion also underwent a revolution during this time. Up until the 1960s, girls pretty much wore whatever was handed down to them. But trends began moving the other way-bubbling up on the street and flowing into the French fashion houses. Gone were the refined hat-glove-dress ensembles and with them the stuffy authority of their makers. Instead, youth-run boutiques in London, and then in New York and San Francisco, served as launching pads for fresh, hip looks like go-go boots, loud prints, and of course, the miniskirt.

Our voices affect how others perceive us. To some extent, we control vocal cues that influence image. For instance, we can deliberately sound firm and sure of ourselves in job interviews when we want to project self-confidence. Similarly, we can consciously make ourselves sound just, attractive, or unapproachable when those images suit our purposes. In addition to the ways we intentionally use our voices to project an image, vocal qualities we don't deliberately manipulate affect how others perceive us. For instance, people with accents often are stereotyped: people with foreign accents often are falsely perceived as less intelligent than native speakers.